Shadows and Sunlight
by Aurialis
Summary: One dark night, Maka is kidnapped by strange monsters and is taken away to a castle in the forest. She struggles to escape from them, despite their strange kindnesses, not seeing the snake in the grass. This is my entry for Reverb 2015, and a link to the art can be found on my profile (it is fabulous go check it out - one of them is the cover). Rating for some violence only.
1. Chapter 1

Maka let out a sigh of relief as she collapsed into bed, completely worn out from cleaning all day. Their regular maid had come down with a cough and stayed home, so it fell to Maka to handle all the chores. Relaxing, the tiny blonde sank further into the mattress, curling up under the thick quilt. She missed the lock that she double-checked sliding open, the creak of the second step from the bottom, the thumping of the carpet being tripped over. Maka didn't miss, however, her door hinges squeaking in protest. She slipped out of bed and darted behind the dressing screen. Or, at least, she intended to, before someone caught her wrists. Caught short, Maka attempted to elbow her captor, though they dodged it easily. As Maka twisted and swung her leg back in an attempt to kick them, a growl slipping through her teeth, another fighter joined the fray, on the kidnapper's side unfortunately. One hand gripped her wrists behind her back, calloused and strong, while their elbow came around Maka's neck, holding her in one place as the other stuffed a gag into her mouth.

"I've got her!" a voice hissed. "Come on, let's get out of here!" Maka tried to scream for help, but the gag was too effective. Besides, who was there to hear? The manor was too far from town for anybody to be out here, especially in the middle of the night. Out of the corner of her eye, Maka saw the window opened and struggled even harder.

They were outside quickly, the two figures supporting Maka between them as the trio landed in the bushes. She was then pulled along after the one who had gagged her, the tall one. The other person was short, at about Maka's height. Both had scarves hiding their hair, darkly-patterned clothing, and black masks that helped them blend into the pitch black night. How they could see well enough to avoid all the traps and bushes, Maka had no idea. The one not holding her had a bag slung over one shoulder, the weight of which seemed to annoy them.

Robbers then, probably so greedy that they resorted to ransoming young women as well as stealing. As they clambered over the wall surrounding the mansion, Maka managed a glance back. The girl's bright green eyes widened with shock and despair.

The beautiful mansion was burning brightly, dark smoke billowing into the skies and mixing with the clouds, blocking out the stars. The trio dashed into the trees, Maka's bare feet aching as she hobbled over roots and thorns, roughly pulled along at a breakneck pace. They finally stopped in a moonlit patch of grass between two trees; Maka leaned on one of the trunks in exhaustion as her two kidnappers discussed something in barely audible whispers. Unexpectedly, the one who had been holding Maka stepped forward, causing her to edge backwards in trepidation. As the stranger moved closer again, Maka pedaled backwards, tripping over a tree root, and fell. On the ground, she scrambled for a weapon, managing to grasp a sizable tree branch, and launched to her feet, swinging it ferociously at the kidnapper and catching them across the face. The figure cried out in pain and fell back, though Maka was already gone. The girl sprinted through the forest, biting her lip to avoid gasping in pain every time she stubbed her toe and scratched her heel on a twig. Air scraped down her throat and stabbed her lungs as she ran for her life, pushing herself even faster upon hearing the roar of anger that sounded from behind her, ignoring the stabbing pain in her side with every step.

Suddenly, a large weight slammed into Maka, tackling her and making them both crash to the ground. She only caught a glimpse of a monster's face, dark steel blue flopping onto its marble gray skin, eyes glowing like sickly yellow lamps. Saliva dripped from its fanged teeth, landing by Maka's face as her arms were wrenched backward agonizingly. She only had a second to get a good whiff of the mud and dead leaves before blacking out.


	2. Chapter 2

When Maka woke up, she was alone in a sparse room, lying on a reasonably sized bed. The walls were made of large stone blocks, making the room feel like that of an ancient castle. The girl started to get up, but when she heard the lock click, Maka fled back under the covers, slowing her breathing to fake sleep, praying her rapidly beating heart didn't give her away. The door swung open, creaking, as a figure stepped inside. It was a woman, or at least, it looked like one, save for the crimson antlers that stabbed the air above her head and the pitch black markings that were etched across her skin, swirling across the smooth, pale surface. Maka peeked out from beneath her eyelashes and saw, to her horror, that the woman's irises were a dark burgundy and the sclera a solid gray.

Setting down a tray of food on the bedside table, the woman, if one could call her that, gently brushed Maka's hair out of her face, testing the girl's nerve and acting skills. Sighing sadly, she left quietly, leaving the blonde bewildered. After a while of lying around to make sure the woman wouldn't unexpectedly come back, she managed to get up and eat, wincing at the bruises spotting her skin. After finishing the oatmeal, which was surprisingly good and filled her stomach comfortably, Maka examined the bandages wrapped expertly around her feet, eyes wide with surprise at the care, wondering if she dared test her walking abilities.

Gingerly examining her feet through the bandages and sensing no pain, the girl tried standing. Her feet ached a little, but she managed to walk to the dresser and back with some clean clothes. If she had to stay captive, better to be ready than in her filthy nightgown, loath as she was to accept anything from her captors on principle. It was easier to walk in the padded and worn boots, thankfully, inciting the girl to try the door, which was unlocked, surprisingly enough.

"Clumsy idiots," she scoffed, stepping into the hall cautiously. Closing the door behind her, she started wandering, trying to find the way out. The stone walls didn't change at all, though there were large windows on the left hand side of the corridor. Looking out, she saw that the green surrounding the castle was rather messy, with untrimmed grass and wild bushes all across the grounds. Further beyond stretched out a dark green forest, only the edges illuminated by the sun shining far above her head. As Maka became aware of footsteps behind her, she frantically started checking doors, praying one of them would be unlocked. To her relief, one of them was, and she managed to duck inside just in time before the footsteps rounding the corridor. Nearly stumbling on the steps, Maka realized she had found the entrance to the servants' staircase, the treads narrow and twisting away into the darkness. Maka peered through the crack between the door and the wall curiously, wondering who it was now. The strange woman? The blue-haired monster?

This time, it was a different person. His face- Maka had never seen anything like it before.

The monster looked mostly like a human, save for his sharp, pearly white fangs and stark white hair that spiked up in fascinating ways. Eyes the color of bloody meat looked ahead lazily as he slouched down the corridor, his drooping features indicating sleepiness despite it being only early afternoon. Maka breathed out in relief as he passed her, nothing in his gaze or expression hinting that he noticed her. Stepping back for a second, she grinned victoriously. Escaping would be even easier than she thought, if all of her captors and their friends were so absent-minded.

All of a sudden, the door flew open and daylight flooded into the tiny room, burning Maka's eyes. She blinked away the black spots and squinted, recognizing the dark figure as the one who had just passed by. Her heart pounding, she tried to stammer out excuses as he reached in and grabbed her arm, pulling her up and dragging her out, barely giving Maka a second to catch her balance as he led her back to her room. As she was thrown inside, the girl spun around and tried to keep the door open, but the young man managed to slam it shut before she could reach it.

"Let me out!" the blonde screamed furiously as she heard the lock click, only inciting her anger even more. She yelled herself hoarse and banged her fists on the door until they bruised, probably until long after the man had gone, before giving up and collapsing on the bed in frustration, tears of fury and helplessness threatening to slip out. It looked like they were just going to leave her here until Papa scrounged up whatever money they had and handed it over, or until her captors decided that this was too much trouble to be worth it.


	3. Chapter 3

A rapid knocking woke Maka up the next morning, surprising her. Opening the door, Maka blinked in surprise at the man standing in front of her, the same one from yesterday, his hands shoved in his pockets and back hunched as if he were still half asleep, though from the way his entire face drooped, she wouldn't have been surprised if that were the case - the young man looked absolutely exhausted. A half-smile split his face and he beckoned for Maka to follow as he started slouching down the hall, ambling pace slow enough for her to catch up, despite him never looking back to check if she was actually there.

She grabbed her coat and followed him, not knowing if this was a good or bad sign, having no idea where they were going. Their footsteps echoed together as they walked, an interesting beat created from the contrasting rhythms, though not unpleasant by any means. Maka glanced out every window that they passed, straining to build a mental image of the layout of the castle and its grounds without being too obvious. The duo passed many doors, all of them arched and undecorated save for an iron symbol nailed to the top, probably a marker of who lived behind it or what was inside, though Maka didn't recognize it, despite knowing a couple different languages.

She considered whether it was worth it to ask the man, but it didn't seem like he'd be inclined to answer anyway, and Maka didn't feel like aggravating her captors right before she might be set free. After a couple more minutes of walking, with Maka lagging every few seconds then running a bit to catch up to his easy, constant pace, the two stopped outside another unremarkable door. Maka glanced at it curiously, a question in her lifted eyebrows as she looked at the man. He smiled slightly and opened the door for her, gesturing for the girl to go in. As she stepped inside, Maka felt her jaw drop open.

The room was gigantic and circular, the entire ceiling made of glass held together with elegantly twisted metal. Ladders on wheels were attached to the bookcases that covered the walls, as even someone tall wouldn't be able to reach the top. Groups of comfortable-looking couches and armchairs were scattered across the library, small tables accompanying each huddle. The girl spun around to stare at the man in shock.

"Why?"

He looked back at her for a moment, eyes soft but murky, hiding the truths submerged in their depths that his smooth face didn't dare reveal - an enigma to all.

His voice, when it came, was low and lazy, sounding bored beyond belief. "Stay in there," he ordered quietly, smoothly ignoring her question, mumbling a sentence that had "something to do" in it, though the edges were hazy and she couldn't make them out. Maka wasn't sure what it was, but something in the man's slouched figure rang false, a chink in the armor that belied his nervousness. She nodded despite herself and stepped through the doors into another world, smiling at the sheer amount of literature before her.

Maka might have heard an amused laugh before the door slid shut, echoing through the library.

Every footstep made a noise, bouncing of the walls musically. Whoever had designed this place had understood acoustics well. Pulling out the first book with letters she recognized, Maka hazily sat into an armchair, nearly missing, so engrossed was she in the book.

0000000000000

"What do you think, Lord Death?"

"I remember a time when my Crowmen didn't question me so often, to be frank," he joked, grinning at the woman who stood in front of him from behind his mask. She simply raised an eyebrow and leveled him with a bored stare, resignedly waiting out the pleasantries Lord Death insisted upon to finish. "Alright, alright, down to business," the man agreed. "What are you asking my opinion about?"

"The buffoon's daughter and her role here, of course," the woman answered, annoyance clearly growing. "Why haven't you told her anything?"

Lord Death knit his fingers together into a fist, resting his hands on the surface of his desk. "We have discussed this many times; don't disrespect my old friend like that, though I will not argue that he can be… difficult, and his charm, for lack of a better words, is an acquired taste. Are we clear?"

"As always, Lord Death."

"I want to avoid telling Maka as much as possible, for her sake. Though in this case, it may become unavoidable, for it would be cruel to leave her in the dark until we catch the rogue witch, which can take months at this rate, unfortunately," he sighed. "Spirit is still missing, sadly enough, and the other bases don't seem to be making much more progress than we are in searching for him."

"I see. Thank you," the blonde woman finally answered, bowing before leaving the room, the door closing behind her with a solemn click.

0000000000000

Maka woke up abruptly, scared for a moment by the darkness that enveloped her before understanding that she must've fallen asleep at the library. Standing up, she stretched out her stiff muscles, noticing for the first time the blanket she had dislodged onto the floor and the bowl of soup standing on the table next to her, a cloth covering it so that it wouldn't get cold.

Eating, she stared in confusion at the blanket. Why were the people who attacked and kidnapped her treating her so well? All that was required for a ransom was a living prisoner; nobody was required to keep her so well-fed and happy. Maka didn't seem to be free to roam about the castle as she pleased, but they were definitely putting in some effort to making her comfortable. Any conclusion she could come up with didn't make sense. Getting up and walking around, the blonde rekindled the oil lamps, and the library became warmly lit, illuminating the man who led her here curled up on a sofa where she hadn't noticed him before. Surprised, Maka reflexively turned down the lights again, afraid of waking him up.

Immediately heading towards the doors, Maka struggled to open them, hoping that they would be unlock, through some miracle. They weren't of course, and though she did consider trying to knick the keys off of him or threatening the man, Maka probably wouldn't stand a chance if he could transform into the same type of monsters as that… blue creature. Best not to anger him then. Looking upwards defeated the idea of climbing out a window - there were none, and the ceiling was too high for such an attempt to be feasible.

Sighing, Maka walked back to the armchair and settling down on the blanket. Noticing the man's hunched shoulders, she groaned with defeat and stood up, blanket in hand as she cautiously approached him. Gently laying it on top of him, Maka scurried back to the chair, thoughts already flying through her head on how to escape as she busied herself with a book, pretending to read for whenever the man woke up. Frankly, she should probably have been more alarmed or worried to be sleeping in the same as one of her captors, but there seemed to be more to this than she was aware of. Why would they take such good care of her if it was just for a ransom? Besides, she wasn't one to forget a favor.

When he woke, the man was flustered and blushed a bit, but accompanied Maka back to her room regardless, the two slowly starting up a conversation along the way, the man proving himself to be interesting and... charismatic in his strange, unique way. She was delighted to garner a surprised but real smile from him when she bade the man good night. Once inside, the girl ignored her bed and instead started planning, determined to escape. Whatever happened, however nice the people were, she was still a prisoner, and that couldn't be allowed to continue. It didn't matter that they seemed to be kind at times, the reality of her situation didn't escape her.


	4. Chapter 4

As the dawn light graced her window and the plan was finally ready for execution, Maka glanced wistfully in the direction of the library one last time, wishing that she wasn't here by kidnapping, that the owners of this castle weren't morally twisted in such strange ways that she couldn't make heads or tails of them, that her father wasn't worried sick or worse. Against all logic, Maka was sure she had seen some kindness in them, or at least a sliver of empathy, if not for her than for each other. Regardless, this wasn't right and she couldn't stay. Testing the chair jammed under the doorknob, Maka tried to still her shaking hands. She'd have to get all the way through the forest to town, and then convince the people that she wasn't insane. As the newborn sun peeked over the horizon mischievously, Maka gently took out the frame holding the stained glass pieces in place, revealing the dusty purple sky and the dark trees, mist hovering near the canopies. Taking one end of the rope of tied sheets, Maka slid over the ledge, one hand holding on to it. She made her way down painstakingly, arms trembling from effort .

Abruptly, the knots gave and Maka started hurtling downwards, the ground rushing towards her at a sickening pace.

With a small yell Maka landed on the grass, which had thankfully not been too far away when the sheet-rope unraveled. Rubbing her back, Maka wobbled to her feet, painfully aware of the ache in her bones and the throbbing in her cheek where she bit it to prevent herself from screaming. The girl started moving again, trekking across the slightly wild lawn, the grass brushing against her calves.

The forest was dark and thick, the trees so densely packed together in some places that she could barely make it through and roots crawling underfoot everywhere else like stiff and gnarled ropes meant to trip her up. Maka's tongue felt too large and the inside of her cheeks too scratchy, each breath soothing her lungs while drying out her throat more. The area under her arms was moist and her skin was coated with a sheen of sticky sweat, causing her clothes to feel even more uncomfortable as her feet boiled.

Regardless, Maka forged on undaunted. Escaping wasn't just an option, but a necessity. The long trek started to tire her, the girl's dry mouth and growling stomach portending that she was only getting more lost, as well as an acknowledgement that dying out here was a very real possibility. No one would ever know and she'd probably never be found, or if so, only by bears or wolves or some other wild animal that would eat her. If she tried eating berries or drinking from a stream, there was the risk of poisoning herself.

Shuddering and forcing the paranoid thoughts out, Maka followed what little of the sun she could see, hoping that by continuing to head east, she would get to the village near home, or at least avoid going in circles if nothing else. Miraculously, the trees started to thin and more light broke through the dense canopy of leaves, forcing her to wonder if she had started hallucinating from lack of water or the heat. Luckily, the things she saw were real. Breaking out of the forest, Maka reveled in the wind that blew her hair back, ruffling her soaked clothes and sending all traces of humidity away. Grinning, she gazed around the plains, praying that they really were familiar and it wasn't just her hopeful imagination. Climbing to the top of a hill, she whooped with excitement at the town that was spread out before her, every old roof and lopsided street dear to her heart.

"M-Maka? W-what are y-you doing here?" a nervous voice asked, startling her out of her reverie. Looking down, she recognized her old friend below her, at the bottom of the hill, standing among the rippling waves of wheat with a sickle in their hands, and grinned with excitement.

"Crona!" she exclaimed, running through the field to hug them. "It's so good to see you again!"

"Are you alright Maka? You seem really tired and… wet?" they asked worriedly, gingerly hugging the girl.

"Oh, I got kidnapped and I just escaped by walking through this gigantic forest so I'm really tired," explained Maka, babbling slightly as the too-bright look in her eyes grew brighter.

"Kidnapped?" Crona squeaked in alarm. "They didn't hurt you did they?"

"No, it's alright, they were actually not that bad?"

Taking her arm gently, Crona started to lead Maka towards their home, making sure that they supported her, concern about how feverish she looked twisting their stomach into knots with worry and fear. Their village was too small for a proper doctor, and medicine was too expensive, a luxury for the obscenely rich. Maka wasn't in any condition to try and buy anything; she probably wouldn't even acknowledge she was sick, knowing her. Back at their house, Crona begged Maka to rest, putting cool cloths on her forehead all night to try to get the girl's fever to go down, for there was no mistaking that it existed now. Around dawn, Crona woke up suddenly, realizing they had fallen asleep in the chair by Maka's bed. Immediately checking her temperature, they were relieved to see that it was much closer to normal, the girl thankfully not waking up at their touch.

"Crona?"

The pink-haired teenager startled at the voice, spinning around and moving to the front room fearfully. "M-mother? W-what are you doing back h-here so fast?"

"Why, Crona, I'd say you sound upset to see me," pouted Medusa mockingly. "I just wanted to visit you, of course. Is that so surprising?"

"Oh… sorry," they answered, shifting to move in front of the door leading to their room, where Maka was sleeping, though their attempts to hide her only made it more obvious that there was something to be hidden.

"Are you hiding something from me?" Medusa asked softly, her voice gentle but the look in her eyes venomous. She didn't give Crona a chance to stammer out the truth, or even to lie, before pushing past them and stepping inside their room. To their surprise, Medusa almost started laughing with delight when she saw the figure in the bed, recognizing her face instantly. "Crona, you wonderful child! You've done the hardest part for me!"

"Mother? What do you mean?" they asked timidly, worrying what this would mean for Maka. Crona always kept their friend a secret from Medusa, recognizing somehow that the witch probably wouldn't be very happy knowing that they were talking to other people, rationalizing it as over protectiveness.

Glancing over her shoulder disdainfully, Medusa ushered Crona out of the room, closing the door behind her. "She is the daughter of an awful man," the blonde woman started, eyes serious. "Her father has probably passed on his despicable ideas to Maka, despite her being only a teen. We must free her, do you understand?"

Eyes growing wide with shock and grief, Crona regardless nodded their head, realizing what had to be done. It would seem like a cruelty to others, but that was only because they didn't understand. Sometimes the hardest things with for the best reasons - Crona had to save his friend.


	5. Chapter 5

Maka blinked blearily, confused as to where she was. How had the castle become a small wooden cabin with a thatch roof again? Lying in bed between the slightly-scratchy sheets, she considered getting up, but the leaden feeling in her bones and the looseness of her muscles discouraged the girl. If her body was so against waking up, maybe it was for the best... She curled up and twisted a bit as another headache hit her, only amplifying the feeling that her throat was made of sandpaper. Footsteps echoed through the room, inducing Maka into rolling over; the girl half expected the mysteriously white haired man in her after-sickness haze. Instead, it was Crona, which somehow disappointed Maka, which then worried her, because for what earthly reason was she disappointed to see a friendly face instead of her captors?

"H-how are you f-feeling today M-Maka?" they stammered, passing the girl a cup of chilly water, the iciness soothing her throat.

"Tired," Maka groaned, "but also awake enough to be bored."

"Oh, I'm s-sorry. D-do you maybe want to g-go for a walk? M-maybe that'll make you wake up more and feel b-better?"

Maka's sand-crusted eyes started to narrow - Crona hadn't stuttered this much in a long time. Had something happened while she was asleep? Was there something wrong that Maka didn't know about? Shaking her head, she pushed the ridiculous thoughts away. If there was anything seriously wrong, Crona would tell her, surely. They were good friends and had been for a long time, after all. Pushing herself out of bed, Maka felt Crona's thin arms help support her. Thanking them, she stepped forward on her own, trying to assess how well her motor skills were working. Luckily, Maka could walk straight and her legs weren't exceptionally weak, leading her to deem Crona's idea of some fresh air and exercise a good one, since the breeze was already dispelling her headache. What harm could come, at any rate? If she grew too tired, the pair could always take a break.

It wasn't long before the two were walking through the fields, the dirt path dusty and uneven. Maka had to watch her feet to make sure she didn't trip on a rock or twist her ankle in a pothole. The golden fields towered on either side of them, making the tiny road feel like part of a labyrinth, shadows dappling their faces as the two wound through the maze. Suddenly, the pair emerged out of the wheat fields on top of a hill, the view opening up to reveal a wide expanse of forest below them, the sun shining brightly in the sky among puffy white clouds on a bright blue expanse. The trees shone a thousand different shades of green, from mantis to emerald to fern, and the fields behind the pair rippled in the breeze like waves, the golden sheen flowing and changing constantly. Maka's loose hair flew around her face as the girl laughed, delighted with the sheer beauty of the world and her regained freedom.

She turned to Crona to share her delight, to see if they were as happy as she was, only to be met with their aggrieved face. "Crona? What's wrong?" They seemed about ready to cry as Maka gently reached out and touched their shoulder, sensing that hugging them wouldn't help right now.

"I'm sorry Maka, but this must be done," Crona cried, pulling a sword out from under their cloak, making her wonder just how she had missed such a huge weapon before, and how Crona's weedy arms could lift it, let alone wield the monstrosity with any sort of dexterity.

As they advanced towards her, Maka watched in shock, frozen with bewilderment and confusion. What were they going to do? Try to kill her? Even if they were friends?

"Wait, Crona, stop," begged Maka, dancing away from them; this time she was the one who stammered. "We can talk through this, just give me a chance!"

"I wish it didn't have to be this way, but Mother told me the truth! Believe me, it'll be better this way. You won't have to suffer anymore!" they replied regretfully, saddened that Maka was fighting against them. "Just let this happen easily, it'll be much more painless."

Maka turned and ran, long legs and a head start giving her the lead as Crona chased after her. As she raced down the paths, each breath stabbing her lungs, Maka frantically searched for anything that could be used as a shield or weapon. Even a large enough rock or a branch would help, considering that right now she had nothing. As she turned a corner, the blonde's mouth dropped open and she nearly fell down as she saw the white-haired man racing towards her, a scythe of all things in his hands. To her shock, the man completely ignored her, instead twisting around the corner and running past her towards Crona, though he had clearly seen her.

Stumbling to a halt, Maka turned and looked back, moving closer to the corner to watch when a whole swath of golden corn suddenly disappeared and the sound of clashing blades rang through the fields. To her shock, the man and Crona were fighting fiercely, scythe and sword meeting every few seconds with a tremendous clang. When had Crona learned to fight like this? What was the man doing here?

Heart in her throat, Maka watched the battle, nails digging into her palms until the skin cut and bled. The wetness on her hands startling her out her terror, Maka realized she couldn't just let the man fight her battles, no matter how scared she was now. She turned and clambered up the small that separated the fields from the path, ignoring the pain in her palms, carefully navigating through the wheat until she was behind Crona. She watched through the stalks, timing each attack and defense until Maka was sure she wouldn't miss. Terrified, but taking a leap of faith, Maka jumped out of the corn, tackling Crona to the ground and sending them both tumbling. Falling head-over-heels, the blonde crashed into the wall and groaned in pain. To her terror, Crona seemed to quickly regain their balance and with the gigantic, pitch-black sword in hands, they loomed over her.

"You could've just allowed me to kill you, none of this trouble was necessary," they sighed, eyes quiet and sad as they brought their arm up in preparation to slice. Maka twisted to the side, feet scrabbling for purchase, shock freezing her when she looked back at just the right moment.

A violent slash of white and black made the world explode in red, the color dripping into the sky and staining the universe crimson before Maka's very eyes.


	6. Chapter 6

The blonde dropped to her knees, pebbles digging into her already-bruised and battered skin as her hands searched frantically for a heartbeat among the blood. Crona stood impassively above the duo, eyes sad but cold and face as distant and unreachable as the moon. Ignoring the blood soaking through her clothes and staining her fingers, Maka stared at the young man's chest in complete and utter horror, wishing she had at the very least known his name, the ends of her hair grazing his skin and turning red. A weak hand gripped her wrist, shocking the girl out of her reverie for a second. The man's eyes, no longer disturbing and frightening, were wide with worry and fear.

"Run!" he gasped, pleaded, begged - the word clearly causing him unimaginable agony. Taking his hand, Maka squeezed it tightly for a second, thanking him as much as she could when her throat wouldn't allow a sound past it. Gently letting him go, the girl stood, eyes blazing with a passionate fury as she glared at Crona.

"How could you?" demanded Maka, voice hoarse and weak. Clearing her throat, the girl screamed, "How could you?" Her voice was raw and tender with pain and grief, sorrow for the loss of an old friend crushing her heart and slicing into her soul.

Leaping over the man's body, Maka drove her fist into Crona, stunning them enough that they didn't even have a chance to use their sword. The two landed on the ground, the girl pummeling the dark-eyed youth mercilessly, pain driving her forward. To her shock, strong, muscled arms pulled her back, causing her to strain and fight harder than she could've imagined. Twisting around to look, she was shocked into stillness by who it was. The man holding her was the blue-haired freak that kidnapped her the first time.

"Who are you? How? Why?" stammered out Maka, bewildered and confused and grieving and furious and a thousand other dark emotions that culminated in wretched sobs shaking her chest as the man went from restraining her to hugging her sympathetically, watching as his companion subdued the real monster while another comrade, this one a doctor, immediately set to work on the red-eyed man, disregarding that they were in the middle of a field on a dusty road.

"Stein's taking care Soul, he'll be alright," he whispered comfortingly, eyes sad and worried as the man glanced at his friend on the ground. The doctor picked up the wounded man, carrying him gently through the fields and leaving Maka to the blue-haired man. "My name's BlackStar, you're Maka right?" She nodded mutely, allowing him to lead the way back to the castle, BlackStar's familiarity with the forest and the castle making the trip much faster than when Maka escaped. Footstep after footstep, Maka stumbling from the tears in her eyes, they somehow made it back. He led her back to her room, telling her that the man, Soul, would be undergoing surgery right now.

Collapsing onto her bed, Maka felt hollow and and dried out, a husk containing the broken fragments of her sanity and happiness. There were no more tears left to shed, but just because the rain had ended did not mean that the sun had come out. A gnawing fear worried at the pit of her stomach, swallowing up everything it came across, ever growing. Things she thought she understood were completely wrong - her best friend was insane and bloodthirsty and one of her kidnappers... protected her with his life? It didn't make any sense!

Suddenly, her door flew open, Maka's body reacting instantly so that she was standing and facing BlackStar, the blue-haired guy. "He's gonna be alright Maka!" the man exclaimed, pulling the girl into a bone-crunching hug. A smile broke out across her face as the two grinned at each excitedly for a moment before BlackStar broke away and started running down the hall. "Gotta tell the others!" he tossed over his shoulder by way of explanation.

Seeing that nobody was stopping her, Maka went out of her room and started wandering the castle curiously, testing each door as she went. Most were locked, every couple or so were open, though those usually contained something like a latrine. Interestingly, they seemed to have plumbing, a luxury reserved for the rich, and especially strange in a ancient castle. The search didn't yield any rewards, but it was better than sitting in bed waiting and worrying.

As Maka was taking a break, leaning against one of the arched windows and gazing at the scenery, she sensed someone come up behind her. She turned around expectantly to face the woman she had seen before, the one with the strange skin and red antlers. Somehow, she looked different now, though it was undoubtedly the same person. Her antlers were gone, bizarrely enough, as well as the strange coloring of her eyes. The woman's skin remained lined with dark swirls, but the patterns complemented her features and were pretty on their own now. Her long hair was now sleek and beautiful, instead of the dry and shaggy mess Maka had first perceived it to be.

"Hello, my name is Tsubaki," the woman started kindly, her face gentle and sweet as she greeted Maka.

"Hi, I'm Maka. Um, do you mind explaining… everything?" the shorter girl asked, trying to figure out how not to be rude while still getting the answers she needed at the same time.

"I'm going to take you to Lord Death, and he will explain everything much better than I ever could," Tsubaki said instead, her eyes concerned as she led the way through a maze of hallways, glancing back every once in a while to check that Maka hadn't gotten lost somehow. When they finally stopped outside a door, the blonde wondered how Tsubaki knew where they were, as this particular door didn't look any different from the library's or even the one to her room. Regardless, Maka trusted the taller woman and stepped through it, Tsubaki's encouraging smile a brightness in the rather gloomy castle.

The room was a lot less ornate and ridiculous than Maka had expected, to be quite frank. It was a regularly sized study, with a large desk facing the door and bookshelves lining the walls to her left and right, all of the crammed with books of every size imaginable. The back wall was a row of windows, open to show the grounds and beginnings of the forest. At the desk sat a figure that she could assume was a man, considering how tall it was, but as the person was completely hidden behind a black cloak and a white mask, Maka had to guess. His black cloak seemed to suck in all the light around it, giving the person a rather foreboding look. However, something about the mask, a circle with three spikes coming out the bottom and three circular holes, gave the personage an air of silliness and friendliness.

"Hiya Maka!" he greeted cheerfully, standing up at her arrival, confirming the feeling the girl had had about his personality. "I am Lord Death, and this is my castle!"

"Er, hi," the blonde replied, not quite sure what to say or do when confronted by such a bizarre juxtaposition of mannerisms and appearance.

"Of course, you must be worried about Soul - Dr. Stein said he'll have a scar, but the boy will be alright," the man brightly informed her, somehow giving Maka the impression that he was smiling kindly at her. "I'm sure you're wondering why we brought you here," he began, waving her towards the chair in front of his desk as he sat. "You see, we know there's someone after you, due to something your father has done."

Groaning, Maka grumbled, "What did Papa do this time?"

"Apparently make a deal with someone very dangerous, though the idiot clearly didn't realize it at the time. As far as we can tell, the original promise was that Spirit would procure… recently deceased bodies, shall we say, for her experiments. After he reneged on the contract, since his partner had suddenly escalated it to live specimens, the witch decided to take revenge by attacking you. She waited until Spirit decided the danger had passed and left for work again. When we heard that her minions were reading an attack, I sent Tsubaki and BlackStar to protect you."

"What are you people? And why didn't you just tell me all of this instead of kidnapping me?" Maka demanded angrily. "It would've saved everyone a lot of trouble and Soul wouldn't have been injured!"

Lord Death sighed sadly clearly upset that things had gotten this far. "The reason we didn't tell you all of this at first was because, as you have obviously figured out for yourself by now, we're not human. Tsubaki, BlackStar, Soul, and many others you have yet to meet, are the Crowmen. They work under me, the Keeper of Death. We exist to maintain the boundary between life and death, while also fighting corruption in the magical community, an example of which would be the witch who tricked your father. Our particular flavor of magic twists other people's perception of us, changing it to match their mental and emotional state. For example, the first time you saw BlackStar, he was probably some sort of salivating monster that only faintly resembled a human, correct?"

Maka nodded embarrassedly, slightly frustrated that her question was remaining unanswered but sensing that this knowledge was important and not given out freely."

"However, now that you think of him more kindly, the boy looks more normal, doesn't he?" Again she nodded, wondering where this is all leading. "The townsfolk and farmers, as you must admit, are rather superstitious and wary of new people, and would probably be outrightly hostile to ones with our kinds of abilities. This leads us to hide in the forest, where we can protect them but they can't hurt us," Lord Death concluded sadly. "Don't worry, I'm getting there," he added fondly, noticing Maka's impatience. "You see how this big this is? We can't just give this information away to anyone, and we wanted you to be able to return to a normal life afterwards. The less you knew, the easier it would be to make you forget about it without causing damage to your mind."

"Are you still going to erase my memory?" Maka asked timidly, wondering how she could go back to her normal life when this other world existed just beneath the skin of her knowledge. "And what about the witch?"

"We don't know who she is, and can only guess at her movements. She is incredibly intelligent and tactical, from what we can tell. Most never manage to evade us for so long. As far as we can tell, her modus operandi is tricking or bargaining with people to bring her bodies, sometimes fresh, occasionally specific long-dead ones. She uses these to bring back the dead, generally using the souls of particularly cruel ones like killers, though her experiments so far have been lackluster and easy to defeat. From what we can tell, the witch uses awful people since their bodies are easier to obtain, not because of specific malicious intent."

There was a pause, during which he was clearly inviting Maka to say something. Rapidly going through the vast amount of information Lord Death had just bestowed upon her, the girl commented, "It seems odd that someone so smart can only create mediocre beings."

"Exactly. We're worried that she's trying to trick us into believing she's weaker than she is, therefore underestimating her and losing any battle in which we might find ourselves. Despite her being a scientist and therefore more inclined towards neutrality by design, the witch clearly isn't kind or good-hearted."

Maka squinted at the man suspiciously, her keen mind racing to put together the puzzle pieces. "You seem to know an awful lot about someone whose identity is a mystery, if you don't mind my saying so Lord Death. And what about Crona? Do they have anything to do with the witch?"

"We try to capture her experiments alive, for at least a little bit, during which we interrogate them before sending their soul back to where it belongs," he answered. "In a sense, Crona is one of her underlings, if not an experiment exactly. We have reason to believe that they are her child, not that she treats them as such," Lord Death commented sorrowfully. "I imagine we would have to keep them locked up, after learning as much as we could, to prevent Crona from causing further damage, and hopefully someday help them turn away from the witch's influence."

Nodding, Maka then asked, "And where do I fit into all of this? There seems to be too much information given if you're just going to let me go back to my old life."

"You can go back as soon as it's safe, we're not stopping you," the man hurriedly corrected. "However, the notion seems to be unappealing to you, and the Crowmen have reported your bravery and determination. We would like to have you become one of our own."

The girl stared at Lord Death in shock, bewildered by this turn of events and her willingness to say yes on the spot. However, her rationale won out, and she stammered out, "Can I have a bit of time to think about this, sir? Since this is obviously such a big decision…"

"Of course, Tsubaki will show you back to your room, or the library, which I've heard you quite like," the man agreed, standing up and opening the door for her, his tone giving Maka the impression that he was smiling brightly again. "It's not an endless offer though; we do need your decision to come sometime soon so we can start training you as fast as possible, if you agree of course, or start making arrangements to help you return to your daily life safely."

Tsubaki was waiting for her in the hall, leaning against a window and reading a book calmly, looking up when the door squeaked open and smiling at Maka cheerfully. "Where do you want to go?"

"Can I go to the library?" she asked, needed the quiet and familiar surroundings to calm her.

Their walk was silent, but the air wasn't charged with tension the way it was at home with her father. As they stopped outside the library, Tsubaki said gently, "You don't have to say yes."

Maka nodded mutely, stepping inside.

 _But can I say no?_

The library was quiet and peaceful, private but not lonely. Sinking into an armchair, Maka found to her surprise that the book she had been reading last time was still there, bookmarked where she left off. Relieved for the familiar escape, she started reading, finally finishing the book when the sun had gone down. Her emotions somewhat settled by reading, the girl glanced around to see that it was dusk, the glass ceiling providing a gorgeous view of the purple-tinged, dark blue sky, the moon a rising silver crescent. Slipping out of the armchair, Maka wondered at the sense of peace that had enveloped her. She wandered through the halls, knowing that she was searching for Soul, despite having no idea where to look for him

To her surprise, she managed to bump into the boy by accident after not too much searching. "Hey," Maka greeted, smiling up at him. "How are you feeling? How did you heal so quickly?" The guilt gnawed away at her insides, but the relief at seeing him alive and walking was so much stronger.

Soul grinned back, "Never been better," he answered, a touch sarcastically. "We're pretty resilient, and Stein's got magic powers and stuff, which doesn't hurt." Together, they turned towards the castle exit, Maka following his lead as they walked outside, the cool fresh air a blessing after the slightly stuffy air of the castle.

"Lord Death said I could become a Crowman," she started, curious as to his reaction.

Soul's eyebrows rose with mild surprise before he asked, "Will you?"

She glanced back at him, the answer plain on her face and the reasons clear in her eyes. "Maybe." The two continued strolling in relaxed silence, every once in a while breaking it up with easy conversation and laughter. They were like old friends reunited after a long time apart, the separation having made their meeting all the happier. Old friends who knew each other, but yet didn't, needing time to feel out how the winds of change had treated the other, how some edges had been smoothed away while others were formed.

Long after the moon had slid off the sky and all children were asleep, Maka found her way back to Lord Death's office. Knocking on the door, she waited patiently to be admitted. It swung inwards on its own, the man still sitting behind his desk.

"I would like to accept your offer," Maka stated firmly as she stepped inside, her heart full to the brim.

"Oh?" he said cheerfully, eyes most likely twinkling behind their mask. "Well then, I can't say I'm not glad to hear that."

The words brought a grin to Maka's face, the smile determined and her eyes filled with anticipation.


End file.
